Learn these four English idioms: at stake, all ears, at the crack of dawn and burn the midnight oil. Learn the meaning of these useful idioms and master them by studying and reading aloud the example sentences. Also read the Idioms in Use text, which contains all four target idioms in a natural context. Leave a comment below and practice the idioms that you learned. Learn more by visiting me at www.SirEnglish.com

7. Choose only two of the four phrases to make a good
sentence. Write down your answer before moving
ahead to check your answers.

8. • If I’m all ears,
• I get up very early in the morning.
• If I burn the midnight oil,
• I’m eager to listen to someone.
Choose two phrases to make a good sentence

9. • If I’m , I’m eager to listen to
someone.
Answer

10. • Someone working very late into the night
• is an example of being all ears.
• Someone that wakes up very early
• is an example of burning the midnight oil.
Choose two phrases to make a good sentence

11. • Someone working very late into
the night is an example of
Answer

12. • because he was eager to listen to someone.
• because he got up very early in the morning.
• Mary had a lot at stake
• Ed woke up at the crack of dawn
Choose two phrases to make a good sentence

13. • Ed woke up
because he got up very early in the
morning.
Answer

14. • If something important is at stake,
• it makes you wake up very early.
• it might be lost.
• If something makes you burn the midnight oil,
Choose two phrases to make a good sentence

15. • If something important is ,
it might be lost.
Answer

16. Replace the phrases in bold with one of the idioms
from this section. Write down each sentence before
moving ahead to check your answers.

17. • Are you ready to tell me the secret? I’m eager to listen to you.
• Thousands of jobs are going to be lost if the government doesn’t help
out.
• Ray was working very late into the night to try and complete his essay
on time.
• I’m always up very early in the morning to start work.
Sentences with normal phrases
Replace the phrases in bold with an idiom from this section

18. Answers
• Are you ready to tell me the secret? I’m all ears.
• Thousands of jobs are at stake if the government doesn’t help out.
• Ray was burning the midnight oil to try and complete his essay on
time.
• I’m always up at the crack of dawn to start work.
Sentences with idioms

19. Example Sentences
at stake
something important which might be lost
all ears
eager to listen to someone
at the crack of dawn
very early in the morning
burn the midnight oil
to work very late into the night
Read the sentences containing the idioms that we studied. Think about the meaning of the idioms as
you read aloud. Train your brain to master these idioms.

20. With so much at stake, all the players and
coaches looked nervous as the basketball final
began.

21. As the teacher sat down to read the
storybook, the excited young children were
all ears.

22. There are lots of trees surrounding our house
so at the crack of dawn we can hear all the
birds singing. It’s a lovely sound to wake up to.

23. Phil: I’m exhausted. I’ve been up late every
night for the past few weeks doing work.
Lee: If you continue to burn the midnight oil
every night, you’ll damage your health.

24. There’s a lot of money at stake here, so it’s
important that you win the contract. Do
whatever you can to get them to sign it.

25. Emma: Our trip to India was absolutely
incredible!
Frank: Please tell me everything about it. I’m
all ears.

26. It’s a 6-hour drive, so we’ll have to set off at
the crack of dawn if we’re to arrive on time.

27. The great inventor Thomas Edison regularly
burned the midnight oil to work on his
experiments and inventions.

28. Why didn’t you do your homework? This is the
third time this week. Come on, what’s your
excuse? I’m all ears.

29. Ron: I heard you’re a keen writer. How often
do you sit down and write?
Amy: Every day. I often start at the crack of
dawn and continue late into the evening.

30. Peter is terrible at planning ahead, and so
always ends up burning the midnight oil to
finish projects that he’s working on.

31. The bridge collapsed into the river this
morning. Thankfully, because it happened at
the crack of dawn, there were no cars or
pedestrians crossing it at the time.

32. I viewed a beautiful house yesterday and I’m
going to make a generous offer. This is my
dream house at stake so I don’t want to take
any chances.

33. Nancy: Look at this huge pile of documents I
have to get through before tomorrow.
Adam: You’re going to be burning the
midnight oil tonight, that’s for sure!

34. The CEO’s reputation is at stake after a
number of corruption allegations against him.
He strongly denies all of these.

35. I expected the bosses to be all ears when I
told them my plans, but they didn’t seem
interested whatsoever.

36. Idioms in Use Set Eleven
Read this short passage aloud. Think about the meanings of the idioms
as you read. This will train your brain to master these idioms.
Situation: A man is talking about quitting his office job and starting his
own business.
Last year, I decided to quit my office job and start a business. It’s been
the best decision of my life. Even though I have to be up at the crack of
dawn, and I often burn the midnight oil, I’m my own boss. There’s still
so much to learn, so I often meet other experienced businessmen and
businesswomen. When I sit down and talk to them, I’m all ears
because I want to improve as quickly as possible. There’s a lot of money
at stake in business, but it’s very exciting. I don’t regret my decision
whatsoever.